The purpose of this invention is to facilitate the insertion of a hard contact lens in his or her eye by a person termed, in the language of ophthalmologists, Monocular Aphakes. Such a person has been operated on one eye for removal of a natural lens having a condition known as a cataract. More specifically the invention applies to a Monocular Aphake who also has a cataract condition in his other eye in which the protein matter has become macromolecular and inflexible to a stage described as "legal blindness." This bilateral condition prevents reading, on a standard eye chart, letters which are directly below the largest letters on the top line of the chart from a distance of 20 feet. This is known as 20/200 vision.
Hard contact lenses are molded from methyl methacrylate, a transparent resin. This lens is shaped like a tiny bowl to fit the curvature of the pupil and iris of the eye. The outside diameter of the bowl is 10 mm. Being transparent, the lens cannot be seen by persons having the specific vision problems described. Such a person can locate the lens only by the sense of touch in the fingers. Consequently, the lens very frequently is lost while such a person is feeling for it on any surface under any degree of illumination.
It is customary practice before inserting the lens in the post-cataract eye to place one or preferably two drops of a contact lens wetting solution into the tiny bowl of the lens to provide a lubricant and adherent film to the surface of the eye. The post-cataract eye cannot focus. Thus it becomes impossible for a Monocular Aphake, except by mere chance, to deposit the drops precisely in the bowl. This is unfortunate because the reflection of light from the surface of the drops in this bowl constitutes the only means by which the lens can be located. The lack of focus and the mist which obscure both the legally blinded vision and the post-cataract eye make it guess work to see the bowl or its periphery. Its outline must be clearly seen in order to grasp it between the forefinger or middle finger and thumb so that it may be transferred to the cushion of the forefinger or the middle finger of the opposite hand before insertion into the eye with the drops kept in the bowl.
Another problem for the contact lens wearer is asepsis. Eye infections frequently result from contact lenses being laid on bacteria prone surfaces. Whether travelling, engaged in work, sports or business, the wearer of the lenses is subject to experiences which require that they be removed from the eye. Dustmotes, hairs, wind, chemicals, cosmetics, etc. make a lens unbearable until removed and a drop or two of wetting solution added after removal of the irritant. A clean surface is hard to find away from home, for example, in an automobile, train, restaurant, office or factory.